Over 2,000 fleeing refugees from Syria drowned in Mediterranean since 2011: UN

Geneva: A UN panel says more than 2,000 Syrians have drowned in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Europe since 2011, and says there’s no end in sight to Syria’s civil war. [caption id=“attachment_2419908” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reutersr[/caption] The UN Human Rights Council report says “the global failure to protect Syrian refugees is now translating into a crisis in southern Europe” — amid an increased flow in recent months. Overall, the 24-page report released Thursday focuses on events from January to June and sheds little new light on the four-and-a-half-year conflict. It highlights abuses by many combatants including President Bashar Assad forces, the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-backed Nusra Front. It says Islamic State has adopted new tactics like hit-and-run attacks and suicide car-bombings following battlefield losses to Kurdish fighters backed by US-led coalition airpower. AP